Chirag Paswan re-elected as LJP (Ram Vilas) president, prepares for caste census

Union Minister Chirag Paswan was re-elected as the BJP (Ram Vilas) president for a five-year term at the national executive meeting of the party on Sunday.

Paswan said the decision was taken unanimously in the meeting.

“The state chief executive re-elected me at a meeting here to hold the position for the next five years,” he said.

Food Processing Industries Minister Paswan said the meeting also discussed the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana, Jammu Kashmir and Jharkhand.

In Jharkhand, the party may contest the polls either with national alliance partner the Bharatiya Janata Party or alone, he said.

“We have taken suggestions from state units, whether they want to form alliances in states where our organization is strong or contest elections alone… At the national level, we have an alliance with the BJP and we are a strong alliance partner with the National Development Association.

“In the 2014 elections, we partnered with the BJP for the vidhansabha polls in Jharkhand and contested the Shikaripara seat. If there was substantial seat sharing, we might form an alliance, otherwise we could contest the polls separately,” Parma said. Swann said.

He also said there was “simmering discontent among the people” against the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand and that the National Development Alliance was certain to return to power in the state.

Assembly polls will be held in Jharkhand later this year.

Paswan advocated a national caste census but warned against making the data public as it would create “rifts” in society.

“We have always stressed that we want a caste census… which will ensure that the government has the correct numbers. However, I do not want the census data to be made public. It could create a rift,” said the minister, whose late father Ram Ram Vilas Paswan is one of the tallest Dalit leaders in the country.

He also said that the National Executive Council passed a special resolution expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for his welfare initiatives and work for the Scheduled Caste community.

Commenting on the creamy layer of SC community, he said, “We have always opposed this practice as they are not only victims of social and educational backwardness but even untouchables”.

Even after years of independence, Dalit grooms were banned from riding horses during weddings, Paswan said. “I even learned of an IPS officer seeking security for his marriage,” Paswan said.

“Even today, we hear that members of the Dalit community cannot enter temples… The Supreme Court opinion did not mention untouchability. The Prime Minister also said that as per constitutional norms, SC provisions will continue to exist.

Earlier this month, a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, ruled in a 6:1 majority verdict to allow the state government to subdivide communities in the SC list based on empirical data.

Supreme Court bench Justice BR Gavai said states must formulate a policy to identify the creamy layer even among Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) and deny them the right to reservation.

On the issue of lateral entry into the bureaucracy, Paswan said the Narendra Modi-led government at the Center reiterated its “commitment to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs” and asked the UPSC to withdraw advertisements for lateral entry, “in “After we expressed our concerns about this.”

Asked about the waqf bill issue, he said the waqf amendment bill has been submitted to the parliamentary joint committee which will enable all stakeholders to raise their concerns.

Attacking the Congress party for its alliance with the National Conference for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, Paswan said the Congress should make its stand clear on the abrogation of Article 370, which the National Conference wants to restore.

(This report has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)